Peace Building Strategies in the Management of Electoral Conflicts in Nairobi County, Kenya

Abstract

In Kenya, a number of elections have always been marred with violent and tension-packed reactions. With each occurrence, there have been peace building measures taken to end the looming tension. However, the strategies seem not to be effective as some level of violence is still experienced in the subsequent elections. The overall objective of this study was to evaluate peace building strategies in the management of electoral conflicts in Nairobi County, Kenya. The study found out that the main peace building strategies used in Kenya include power sharing/grand coalition government, the 2010 Constitution, the civil society, and the 2018 Raila-Uhuru political reconciliation. To strengthen peace building strategies, the government, in collaboration with the civil society, and local and international peace organizations should conduct civic education. The government should also put in place effective measures that will help harness the strengths of the current peace building strategies. The study was motivated by the need to have effective peace building strategies in the management of recurring electoral conflicts in Kenya.